I Quit Alcohol and Felt Some Amazing Changes

I will never drink alcohol again. I quit about ten months ago. It feels crazy and it's still hard for me to believe that I did it. But my life is so much better.

Quitting alcohol was a huge decision. I love talking about it because not enough people do. Drinking is a large part of today's society, and it causes a lot of problems, big and small, in people's lives.

I was never the type of person that got super drunk every day and needed to go to rehab because I struggled immensely with alcohol. Many people do. But that's not my story.

I started drinking, as most do, in my high school years. We'd party regularly and get drunk. That continued into my 20s, going downtown to party with friends. Then it becomes normal to drink more often, including at home alone. Sometimes, after a long day, you just have a drink by yourself.

Over these last 13 years or so, I've been drinking on a regular basis. I've tried to quit many times. I've done Dry January or just decided to stop for a little while. And I always felt great at the end of it. But I'd soon slip back into the old drinking routines and habits.

A lot of people don't question their relationship with alcohol, or they don't really understand why you might be questioning it.

There was no catalyst for me. No rock bottom moment. I wasn't an alcoholic. I've always considered myself to be in this grey area of drinking. I was a normal social drinker at a level that is culturally accepted.

I've asked questions about my relationship with alcohol at many times in my life. When I was younger and drinking, I had gotten into fights with friends or old boyfriends, and it led to dramatic blown-out situations that would never happen while sober.

As I hit 30, I've doubted that alcohol has had any positive influence in my life. I'm struggling to think of any positive examples, in fact.

I did, though, drink very often. Alcohol was almost always a part of any social event or gathering. I would have a couple of glasses of wine most nights and more on the weekends, especially if we were having people over or hanging out with people.

And it was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that alcohol was holding me back from living a better, more fulfilling life and feeling good about myself.

The first reason why I know I will never drink alcohol again is quitting makes it a lot easier to fix your problems. I found that alcohol really masked my emotions. It made it harder to see what it really was that was bothering me. I just felt out of touch with myself.

Without alcohol clouding my mind, I am more in tune with my feelings. You can clearly identify the areas you need to work on, and then figure out what to do to make things better.

Like, have I eaten enough today? Is that why I'm feeling so irritable? Or is it that I really want to talk about something with my husband and it's kind of on my mind and making me feel anxious?

So many people think removing alcohol will solve all the issues in your life but, whilst you'll see major improvements, things won't resolve themselves overnight.

Another reason why I will never drink alcohol again is because my mental health has literally never been better. That's for many reasons, but alcohol was such a huge barrier for me to overcome to feel good on a regular basis.

Before, I'd describe my mood as unstable. I was often anxious or stressed. Things would irritate me quickly or get under my skin. I'd be angry or sad about things that, ordinarily, wouldn't bother me at all.

I used to cry at least once a week, if not more. I felt like I was always on the verge of getting upset about something. And that's just not who I am. I am still a sensitive and emotional person, but I barely ever cry anymore unless it's over something that's genuinely called for.

I am so much more in control of myself and my emotions, and I feel good and happy every day.

Even on days where I'm feeling down, I can recognize that it's only a temporary thing that I'm going through. And even if it lasts a couple of days, I'm able to just push through that so much easier without alcohol. I don't feel like I have this extra weight holding me down anymore.

Another big reason why I'll never drink again is I had a huge shift in my mindset. I had it in my head that alcohol was making me have more fun and a better time, and that it was going to be so hard to live without it.

Honestly, that is just not the case for me. I have found that consuming alcohol on a regular basis or even just on a semi-frequent basis is making me have a worse time, not better. Alcohol was tied to so many weird little insecurities for me. Getting it out of the picture has made me flourish.

Now that I have quit drinking for an extended period and have attended lots of different gatherings, social events, and parties, I have such a better time without drinking than I ever thought I would.

I am now so much more present and confident in those social settings. I don't feel that anxiety of needing to get another drink so I can have the liquid courage to talk to someone or address a situation. It feels so good to be in control of what I'm saying and how I'm acting.

I know that a lot of people struggle with that too; they think alcohol is giving them more confidence and less anxiety. But for me, at least, it was totally the opposite.

I was way less confident and way more insecure; anxious as all hell in every situation. Once I quit drinking, I didn't have social anxiety anymore and I feel confident and excited about going to social events. I am so much more confident and secure in my own skin than ever before.

Another major reason why I will never drink alcohol again is I finally feel like I'm not just sitting around and wasting my time. Sure, we all have those nights where maybe we put on a show, and we binge watch the whole thing all night. I still do those types of things.

But there's something about doing that while drinking that made me feel like I was accomplishing nothing with my life. Even when I was still striving towards achieving things, with alcohol in the picture it just seemed like none of that really meant as much as it should.

Now that I'm not drinking at home or when I go out, I just don't feel like I'm wasting my time. I feel like I'm contributing to society and to the wellness of my own self, my family, and the people, around me. I'm living a better, more fulfilling life and not just wasting away.

Maybe that sounds super dramatic. But perhaps you can also relate with what I'm saying. Drinking made me feel like I was in such a rut, and I didn't really know how to get out of that. It took me a long time to realize that I needed to quit drinking alcohol.

I think some people have the perception that you need to have a serious alcohol problem to quit drinking. I wasn't an extreme drinker, but quitting alcohol made such a beautiful, amazing, and positive impact on my life.

I really encourage others to challenge themselves in this way. It's easier than it used to be; there are now so many delicious non-alcoholic or mocktail options out there. Anytime I'm out at a restaurant with friends or my husband I get excited looking at what they have for mocktails.

Now that I'm not drinking alcohol, I can appreciate the taste of these drinks a lot more. I'm so much more attuned to flavors and I can taste things better than I used to. So, I don't feel like I'm missing out on drinking alcohol or the experience.

Sometimes, even just like holding a non-alcoholic drink in a wine glass can make you feel like you're having something special, and if you're surrounded by people consuming alcohol then you can still feel that you're a part of the group and not so left out.

I've come to realize since being sober for so many months that I just don't have any reason to go back to drinking.

Plus, can we all agree that hangovers absolutely suck? I used to not really get hangovers when I was like around 20. I would wake up the next day after drinking and go to the gym at 8am feeling completely fine.

By my mid-20s, I started getting real hangovers, and they began to develop even when I wasn't drinking all that much. I still suffered with headaches, nausea, being super thirsty when waking up, and just feeling awful all day.

When I reached 30, I started to feel hungover for two days. It just it didn't feel fun anymore. I don't miss a damn thing about being hungover and I love waking up every day feeling sober and ready to go. I will not drink again just so that I don't have hangovers anymore.

Aside from personal health reasons, one important factor keeping me sober is that I want to be a great example and role model for my family and future children. I'm now pregnant, though that had nothing to do with my decision to stop drinking. I just want to feel confident and awesome every day, or as many days as I possibly can, for those I love around me.

My life feels like it has gotten exponentially better since I quit drinking alcohol. It really has a snowball effect.

If you are someone who drinks alcohol on a regular basis, and feels there is something lacking in your life, I urge and encourage you to go sober even if only for a brief period of time at first. You might never look back.

Laura Doran produces videos about health, wellness, lifestyle and sobriety on her YouTube channel.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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